Travelers experienced only minor disruptions Monday in the wake of the crash of an American Airlines jet -- a far cry from Sept. 11, when air travel nationwide came to a halt and airlines scrambled to help stranded passengers get to their destinations.

Indeed, by 1:30 p.m. EST -- only four hours after the Airbus A300 crashed shortly after takeoff -- most New York airports were open again, with the exception of inbound flights at New...